Category Archives: News Release

DALLAS –Luminant has acquired two combined-cycle natural gas plants in Texas, having received regulatory approval from the Public Utility Commission of Texas and closing on the acquisition today. These generating assets represent nearly 3,000 megawatts of capacity in the competitive ERCOT market: the Forney Power Plant in Forney with a capacity of 1,912 megawatts and the Lamar Power Plant in Paris with a capacity of 1,076 megawatts.

The company announced the $1.3 billion acquisition last November, and Luminant Chief Executive Officer Mac McFarland said, “We’re delighted to add these two combined-cycle natural gas plants that will enhance our already diverse generation assets.”

With their combined capacity, these plants can power 1.5 million homes in normal conditions.

As the company assumes operational control of the Lamar and Forney plants, Luminant Senior Vice President-Fossil Generation Steve Horn said, “These are excellent, well-run plants and very competitive in the ERCOT market. Of course, the greatest assets at these plants are the people who run them. They do a tremendous job, and we’re so excited about getting to know them better.”

There are 30 to 40 NextEra Energy Resources employees at each location, and they will continue to run the plants through a short-term agreement with NextEra Energy Resources before they’re transitioned to be employees of Luminant.

Luminant adds these combined-cycle gas turbine power plants to its energy portfolio that includes coal, natural gas and nuclear power, as well as significant purchases of wind-generated electricity and a recently announced solar power purchase agreement.

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About Luminant

Luminant, a subsidiary of Energy Future Holdings Corp., is a competitive power generation business, including mining, wholesale marketing and trading, and development operations. Luminant has almost 17,000 megawatts of generation in Texas including 2,300 MW fueled by nuclear power, 8,000 MW fueled by coal and 6,450 MW by natural gas. The company is a large purchaser of wind-generated electricity. EFH is a Dallas-based energy holding company that has a portfolio of competitive and regulated energy subsidiaries in Texas. Visit luminant.com, energyfutureholdings.com or our corporate blog pov.energyfutureholdings.com for additional information.

DALLAS - Luminant today named Ken Peters as chief nuclear officer for Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant, effective April 1. In announcing Peters’ appointment, Luminant Chief Executive Officer Mac McFarland said, “Ken is a tremendous leader. His dedication to safety, along with his broad experience and knowledge in the nuclear generation industry, has been vital to Comanche Peak being one of the top performing plants in the nation. I know he’s prepared to continue pursuing excellence in Comanche Peak’s safety, operations and reliability.”

Peters has been serving as acting CNO at Comanche Peak since December and joined Luminant in 2012 as site vice president at the plant.

In assuming his new role as CNO, Peters said, “I’m honored to be part of and lead such a great group of nuclear energy professionals here at Comanche Peak. Our mission is to operate it as a safe, efficient, reliable, cost-effective, competitive nuclear power plant.”

Peters has more than 30 years’ experience in nuclear energy generation. Prior to joining Luminant, he held various managerial roles at other nuclear power stations around the country, including plant manager and vice president, engineering and projects. A New Jersey Institute of Technology graduate, Peters also received master’s degrees from Virginia Tech and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Comanche Peak is a two-unit, nuclear-fueled power plant in Somervell County, Texas, southwest of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Each unit has a capacity of 1,150 megawatts. Unit 1 began commercial operation in 1990 and unit 2 in 1993. As one of the performance leaders among the nation’s nuclear power plants, Comanche Peak provides dependable power in the ERCOT competitive market operating at a capacity factor of 99 percent in 2015.

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About Luminant
Luminant, a subsidiary of Energy Future Holdings Corp., is a competitive power generation business, including mining, wholesale marketing and trading, and development operations. Luminant has more than 13,700 megawatts of generation in Texas, including 2,300 MW fueled by nuclear power and 8,000 MW fueled by coal. The company is a large purchaser of wind-generated electricity. EFH is a Dallas-based energy holding company that has a portfolio of competitive and regulated energy subsidiaries in Texas. Visit luminant.com, energyfutureholdings.com or our corporate blog pov.energyfutureholdings.com for additional information.

Security Camera Records Funnel Dropping to Ground

DALLAS – Luminant today released video of a tornado forming and then on the ground southwest of the company’s Lake Hubbard Power Plant on Dec. 26, 2015. A security camera recorded the tornado at approximately 6:45 p.m. as it approached Garland, Texas.

The Lake Hubbard plant is on the west shore of Lake Ray Hubbard just south of Interstate 30. The plant sits a short distance east of the Garland neighborhoods along Bobtown Road that sustained heavy damage.

In the upper right portion of the screen, the video shows the funnel cloud forming and dropping to the ground where it remains moving to the northeast until it goes out of frame.

The Lake Hubbard plant generates power from natural gas and did not sustain any damage from the storm. Plant personnel on site took cover in a secure area.

Luminant, a subsidiary of Energy Future Holdings Corp., is a competitive power generation business, including mining, wholesale marketing and trading, and development operations. Luminant has more than 13,700 megawatts of generation in Texas, including 2,300 MW fueled by nuclear power and 8,000 MW fueled by coal. The company is a large purchaser of wind-generated electricity. EFH is a Dallas-based energy holding company that has a portfolio of competitive and regulated energy subsidiaries in Texas. Visit luminant.com, energyfutureholdings.com or our corporate blog pov.energyfutureholdings.com for additional information.

DALLAS - Furthering its commitment to powering Texas and serving its customers, Luminant announced today it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire generating assets representing 2,988 MW of capacity in the competitive ERCOT market.

Luminant has agreed to purchase NextEra’s La Frontera portfolio, which consists of Forney Energy Center and Lamar Energy Center, both located in Northeast Texas. La Frontera’s generating capacity has the ability to power about 1.5 million homes during normal conditions.

Luminant adds these combined-cycle gas turbine power plants to an already diverse energy portfolio that includes coal, natural gas and nuclear power, as well as significant purchases of wind-generated electricity and a recently announced solar power purchase agreement.

Key Transaction Terms

$1.313 billion purchase price ($440 per installed kilowatt) plus approximately $239 million for cash and approximately $37 million for net working capital, subject to customary adjustments based on the amounts of cash and net working capital at closing.

Transaction is expected to close in the spring of 2016, pending customary regulatory approvals.

Funding of the purchase price is expected to come from cash on hand as well as borrowings under available credit facilities.

The United States Bankruptcy Court and appropriate creditor groups have granted the necessary approvals for the acquisition.

Key La Frontera Portfolio Facts

The Forney Energy Center is located in Forney, Texas. It has a capacity of 1,912 MW with a commercial operation date of 2003.

Lamar Energy Center is located in Paris, Texas. It has a capacity of 1,076 MW with a commercial operation date of 2000.

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About Luminant

Luminant, a subsidiary of Energy Future Holdings Corp., is a competitive power generation business, including mining, wholesale marketing and trading, and development operations. Luminant has more than 13,700 megawatts of generation in Texas, including 2,300 MW fueled by nuclear power and 8,000 MW fueled by coal. The company is a large purchaser of wind-generated electricity. EFH is a Dallas-based energy holding company that has a portfolio of competitive and regulated energy subsidiaries in Texas. Visit luminant.com, energyfutureholdings.com or our corporate blog pov.energyfutureholdings.com for additional information.

Announces power purchase agreement with West Texas SunEdison solar facility

DALLAS – Continuing its commitment to serve customers and Texas with a balanced energy
portfolio, Luminant has agreed to buy 116 megawatts generated by a SunEdison large-scale solar plant in Upton County, Texas. The power purchase agreement, which is being added to Luminant’s already diverse mix of energy sources, is the largest in the nation for a merchant generator operating in a competitive market.

In announcing the long term solar agreement, Luminant Chief Executive Officer Mac McFarland said, “We have a long history of operational excellence and innovation in providing safe, affordable electricity for the benefit of Texans, and we are proud to continue that tradition with this solar project.”

Luminant, the largest power generator in Texas, now adds solar to its diverse energy mix, which includes coal, natural gas and nuclear power, as well as significant purchases of wind-generated electricity.

Starting in late 2016, Luminant will purchase power from SunEdison’s Castle Gap facility, a photovoltaic solar plant currently under development in Upton County. Unlike typical agreements in which the solar-generated power is sold to a specific customer or in a regulated portion of Texas, Luminant will sell the electricity to the ERCOT competitive market.

“As we evaluate our future generation needs, we focus on projects that are profitable and able to compete in the wholesale market. This agreement with SunEdison meets those goals since solar generation costs have become increasingly competitive,” McFarland added.

SunEdison is the world’s largest renewable energy development company delivering predictably priced electricity to residential, commercial, government and utility customers. For competitive reasons, prices are not being disclosed.

On sunny days, these 116 MWs are enough to power 58,000 Texas homes during normal demand and 23,200 homes during peak demand.

The Castle Gap facility will span nearly 800 acres in West Texas.

Approximately 485,000 photovoltaic solar panels will be installed at the facility.

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About Luminant

Luminant, a subsidiary of Energy Future Holdings Corp., is a competitive power generation business, including mining, wholesale marketing and trading, and development operations. Luminant has more than 13,700 megawatts of generation in Texas, including 2,300 MW fueled by nuclear power and 8,000 MW fueled by coal. The company is a large purchaser of wind-generated electricity. EFH is a Dallas-based energy holding company that has a portfolio of competitive and regulated energy subsidiaries in Texas. Visit luminant.com, energyfutureholdings.com or our corporate blog pov.energyfutureholdings.com for additional information.

Plant continues long-standing record of safety and reliability

DALLAS – Twenty-five years ago, the first of two units at Luminant’s Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant began supplying power to the state’s electric grid. That day – Aug. 13, 1990 – was the culmination of a long journey through construction and commissioning, and the beginning of a growing history of milestones and memories.

Now, more than 422 million megawatt-hours later, the plant continues its long-standing record of safety, reliability and operational excellence.

“For 25 years, the people who work at Comanche Peak have carried through on their commitment to the people of Texas to provide reliable, clean power while keeping safety as the highest priority,” said Mac McFarland, CEO of Luminant. “Their standard of excellence is what has made Comanche Peak one of the best nuclear plants in the country.”

Comanche Peak sits on 10,000 acres between Glen Rose and Granbury, about 45 miles southwest of Fort Worth. Since 1990, it has contributed more than $1 billion to neighboring communities through tax payments, payrolls, purchases and other expenditures. During construction and commissioning of the two units, the plant provided more than 10,000 jobs; currently, about 1,300 people are needed to support units 1 and 2. More than 200 of these current employees were there the day Comanche Peak synced to the ERCOT grid.

“I was the shift operations manager at the time,” said Rafael Flores, chief nuclear officer for Luminant. “Looking back, the number of people who have played a role in the success of our plant is mind boggling – from those who designed it up to everyone who is here today. All along the way, it’s been the quality of our people who have made the difference.”

Comanche Peak has become much more than a source of dependable electricity; its employees have established a legacy of generosity as dependable volunteers and donors of both money and time. From educational partnerships with the local school districts to donations of funds and expertise to local emergency preparedness activities, and active participation in community organizations, Comanche Peak is a vital part of Hood and Somervell counties.

The two-unit nuclear plant has a capacity of 2,300 MW — enough to power about 1.15 million homes in normal conditions and 460,000 homes in periods of peak demand.

From colossal construction to dinosaur discoveries, massive megawatts to powerful pellets, be sure to check out our blog for more on the plant’s 25th anniversary and 25 things you might not know about Comanche Peak.

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About Luminant

Luminant, a subsidiary of Energy Future Holdings Corp., is a competitive power generation business, including mining, wholesale marketing and trading, and development operations. Luminant has more than 13,700 megawatts of generation in Texas, including 2,300 MW fueled by nuclear power and 8,000 MW fueled by coal. The company is a large purchaser of wind-generated electricity. EFH is a Dallas-based energy holding company that has a portfolio of competitive and regulated energy subsidiaries in Texas. Visit luminant.com, energyfutureholdings.com or our corporate blog pov.energyfutureholdings.com for additional information.

DALLAS – Luminant's fleet of nuclear, coal and natural gas plants helped power Texas as ERCOT demand reached an all-time high setting a new record. All of Luminant's plants were online and available for generation as Texans dealt with the high summer temperatures.

DALLAS – As we did when the proposed rule was released, Luminant will extensively review the Environmental Protection Agency’s final Section 111 (d) rule before commenting in detail.

We’ll be looking closely to determine if the EPA truly listened and fundamentally restructured this final rule from the proposed rule, which was unlawful, unworkable and unfair to Texas.

The final rule, to be workable, must respect Texas’ unique intrastate electricity sector and dynamic competitive market. The proposed rule did not account for these factors, with its huge cost increase for consumers, unrealistic dispatch of coal to natural gas and mandate for a massive build out of renewables — without crediting Texas for its significant and nation-wide leading investments in renewables to date — that would threaten reliability.

With the record demand for July we saw last week, we again are reminded why Texas and its growing economy must continue to be served by the diverse mix of energy that’s proven to be dependable — coal, natural gas, nuclear and renewables.

We look forward to examining the final rule to determine if it exceeds the confines of the Clean Air Act and whether, like the proposed rule, it inflicts severe impact on the affordable, reliable power sector driven by market forces that serves Texas so well.

DALLAS – Today, Luminant finalized an agreement with the Sierra Club under which the Sierra Club will drop multiple pending legal matters against the company. In return, Luminant will not seek payment from Sierra Club of $6.45 million in fees awarded to the company. Continue reading →